-S7-. 



after hoeing is done. It is necessary that they be scattered and 

 not choked by weeds. The branches are always diffuse, slender 

 and procumbent. The other form is often produced by injury to 

 the main axis, especially by late frosts in spring killing the sprout- 

 ing stem, which then puts out branches at the extremity of the 

 living portion. 



6. Alpestre Wahl. Stem procumbent with point ascending ; 

 6-9 angled, 4-9 inches long, with internodes shortened, often 

 curved. Branches secund, nearly fastigiate, somewhat stiff, 3-5 

 angled. This grows usually in hard gravelly soil, where it is in- 

 undated much of the year. I have also found it in a- bog with 

 Eriophorum gracile, where there was no safe footing. It appears 

 to be the result of an excess of water, as the normal form will be 

 found on the nearest dry land. It rarely fruits, but when it does 

 so, is belated and on stems intermediate between sterile and fer- 

 tile. It is then similar to the varieties arcticum or campestre. 



7. Arciicitm Ruprecht. Fertile stem erect, 2^-4 inches 

 high or more, 4-6 angled, green, firm, often like a sterile stem 

 below, pinkish and soft above, usually bearing a few simple, scat- 

 tered, 3-4 angled branches, which often overtop it. Teeth 

 grooved on back. Sterile stem procumbent, ascending or erect, 

 pyramidal branched. I have seen this only in a cranberry bog 

 formed at the bottom of a gravel pit, where it is wet throughout 

 the year; fruiting August 1st. Very much like the next in ap- 

 pearance, especially when dry. 



8. Campestre Schultz. Fertile stem stout, green, grooved, 

 3-12 inches high, 7-12 angled, bearing more or less regular verti- 

 cils of branchlets, and terminated by a spike which rarely dissem- 

 inates spores. Appearing in two forms: a. Macrostachya — 

 Stem firm, stout; bearing scattered branches below, becoming 

 more fleshy and pink in upper internodes. A metamorphosed 

 fertile stem. b. Microstachya — Similar in all respects to an ordi- 

 nary sterile stem, but the main axis terminating in a minute spike 

 of 3-4 whorls. In both of these forms we find every gradation 

 from stem to spike; the lower part of the spike often being nor- 

 mal and the top proliferous. Again, some of the verticils show 

 sporocarps, sheaths and teeth intermixed ; and we may find all 

 degrees of variation to show that the ring about the shaft is a 

 modified sheath, and the sporocarps modified teeth. This variety 

 is often caused by luxuriance. Whenever a late frost cuts down 

 the fruit stems, the energy reserved for fruiting is thrown into 



